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Jordan restricts Palestinian entry at Allenby Bridge

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Wednesday, June 26, 2002

AMMAN Ñ Jordan has tightened restrictions on Palestinian entry amid increasing unrest in the kingdom.

Palestinian sources said Hashemite authorities are preventing an increasing number of Palestinians from crossing into the kingdom from the West Bank. The sources said Jordan's Interior Ministry now demands a special permit for entry.

Over the weekend, Jordan's King Abdullah criticized the rule of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Middle East Newsline reported. The king said Arafat has lost control of militant groups.

"What I can say is that over the years I always thought Arafat was capable of controlling Palestinian public sentiment and extremism," Abdullah told the Belgian weekly Le Vif/L'Express. "I think that is no longer the case today."

So far, the sources said, thousands of Jordanians have been turned back from the Allenby Bridge, which separates the West Bank from the kingdom. They said the new restrictions were detected earlier this year amid rising pro-Palestinian unrest.

[Over the last week, Jordanian authorities arrested several Islamic activists who were organize anti-U.S. demonstrations as well as a boycott of American products. They included Ali Abu Sakr, head of the Committee Against Normalization with Israel.]

Jordan has often warned that it will not serve as a refuge for Palestinians fleeing a war with Israel. Seventy percent of the Jordan's population is believed to be composed of Palestinians, many of whom crossed the Jordan River in the 1948 and 1967 wars.

The sources said Jordan has also limited the number of Palestinians arriving to study in the kingdom. Restrictions have also been reported for Palestinians who seek medical services in Jordan.

In a related development, Jordan expects about 1,500 refugees from the 1991 Gulf war to be resettled in a third country. Most of the refugees are Iraqi nationals.

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